


Healing All Wounds

by carolinablu85



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Early Work, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, very very slight slight allusions to minor minor non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-22
Updated: 2011-09-23
Packaged: 2017-10-23 22:47:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/255917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinablu85/pseuds/carolinablu85
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke and Noah deal with the aftermath of the kidnapping when Noah is released from the hospital.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Again- one of the first stories I wrote when I started out in this fandom, please be kind!

Holden opened the door first, cautiously ducking his head into the living room. “Faith? Nat? Anyone home?” When no one answered, he swung the door open fully, going in. “Okay, looks like Mama already took them and Ethan to the farm. Coast is clear.” He spoke to the three people behind him. Luke and Lily came through the doorway, leading Noah in.

“Good,” Luke sighed in relief, his arm wrapped firmly around Noah’s waist.

“You didn’t have to kick them out, I feel bad,” Noah protested quietly, his uninjured arm slung around Luke’s shoulders.

“Oh sweetie, it’s fine,” Lily assured him, steadying him with a hand on his back. “They’ll love spending the weekend at the farm. And you need all the peace and quiet you can get for the next few days.”

“But I’m fine,” he mumbled, his eyes involuntarily squinting with discomfort as Luke and Lily helped him take his jacket off. He kept his left arm as still as possible, fought against holding with his other hand.

Luke shook his head, smiling. “No, you’re not,” he mock-scolded. He put his arm back around his boyfriend, trying to make it look more like a hug than physical support. “You’re in pain. And you’d be in a lot more if the doctor hadn’t shot you up full of drugs right before we left.”

“They were just being cautious, I’m fine,” Noah maintained, though Luke could feel him leaning into his embrace a little more.

Lily smiled fondly, patting his good shoulder and moving with Holden towards the kitchen. “We’ll get some lunch started. Are you hungry, Noah? I can make you some soup and toast, if you’re up for it.”

“That sounds great, Lily, thank you.” He smiled at her bashfully, and Luke stared at him, suddenly having to fight back the wave of emotions that had been threatening to overwhelm him since they had first gotten to the hospital. The entire kidnapping, Noah getting shot and burning up with fever, fading in and out of consciousness, Zoe going completely insane, Zac waving that gun around…

Luke was still so relieved that everything had worked out in the end, that he hadn’t lost Noah (or himself). He briefly tightened his grip on Noah’s waist, hugging him close and kissing his cheek, before letting go completely to take his own jacket off and hang it up.

Luke turned back to Noah just in time to see him stumble slightly as he made his way to the couch. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, easy,” Luke cautioned, hurrying over and steadying his boyfriend. “You okay?”

Noah nodded, eyes closing of their own accord. “Just dizzy,” he admitted, allowing Luke to brace him and guide him to the couch.

“The doctor said you’d be a little out of it from the painkillers they gave you,” Luke reminded him. “Do you want to go lie down, or-?”

“No,” Noah responded quickly. “No, I’ve been lying down for three days. I want to stay where I can… move around,” he shrugged one shoulder awkwardly.

“Hey, I get it,” Luke grinned. “When I finally got out of that wheelchair I didn’t want to sit again for a month.” Somehow one of his hands that had been holding Noah up was now rubbing up and down his back slowly.

Noah chuckled. “Yeah, I’m kind of sick of being stuck in one place for days on end.” He was smiling when he said it, but for a second Luke felt like he’d been punched in the chest. It dawned on him then- Noah hadn’t slept in a real bed, hadn’t eaten real food, hadn’t watched his old movies, in a week. Three days in the hospital, and the three or four days before that stuck with Zac and Zoe (or whoever), chained to a post… “Luke?” Noah’s voice was hesitant, concerned.

Luke realized he must have tightened his grip on Noah. He loosened his hold quickly. “Sorry,” he shook his head, trying to get rid of the frown that had appeared on his face.

“Hey,” Noah said gently, his hand coming up to the side of Luke’s face. Luke could help but lean into the touch, tilting his head towards it. Noah softened, his eyes cloudy but knowing. “It’s over, alright? It’s okay. I’m okay.”

Luke was reminded of the last time they were at the hospital. Hadn’t he said the same thing to Noah when Damian had been stabbed? _It’s okay, I’m okay_. Well, he wasn’t okay now. He shook his head again. “You almost _died_ , Noah.” He could hear the tears in his voice, even if he couldn’t feel them on his face.

“But I didn’t,” Noah cut in determinedly, taking a hurried step closer to Luke. Suddenly he swayed again, and both he and Luke held on tighter to each other. “I- I can’t… can we sit down?” he asked unsteadily, eyes closing.

“Yeah, yeah, come here,” Luke instantly forgot his own turmoil, gently pulling Noah down to the cushions, arranging the pillows around him, careful of his left arm. He sat down on Noah’s right side, watching as Noah leaned back with a tired sigh taking tight and controlled breaths. Luke regarded him sadly, laying a comforting hand on Noah’s chest. “How is this ‘okay?’” he questioned, tapping his fingers.

“The good guys got away, the bad guys got caught. Nobody died,” Noah murmured.

“This isn’t a movie, Noah!” Luke was exasperated, caught up in his emotions again.

“It’s also not your fault, Luke,” Noah shot back calmly, finally opening his eyes, focusing them blearily on his boyfriend. The shocked but guilty look that passed across Luke’s face seemed to confirm Noah’s suspicion. He waited, knowing Luke needed to talk about something. And when Luke needed to talk, it was only a matter of time before he actually _did_ , whether you wanted him to or not. Noah forced himself not to smile at that.

Luke was quiet for a few moments, looking down, while Noah focused on him with all of his tired might. “I should have known,” Luke finally confessed quietly. His hand stayed on Noah’s chest, fingers now playing with one of the buttons of his shirt.

“Known what?” Noah prodded, confused.

“When you called. When they made you call me. I was… I was _mad_ at you,” he said incredulously. “How did I not see something was wrong?”

“Maybe I’m just a really convincing actor?” Noah half-smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

Luke wouldn’t- couldn’t- play along. “The things I said to you… You can’t pretend I didn’t hurt you.” He finally looked straight into Noah’s gaze.

Noah didn’t look away, letting his blue eyes do the talking where his words couldn’t seem to convince Luke. Yes, Luke had hurt him, but Noah obviously wasn’t blaming him. “You were upset when you said that stuff, you weren’t thinking clearly-”

“That’s just it, Noah! I wasn’t thinking about you, I was caught up in my own drama! You were being held at gunpoint, and all I did was yell at my boyfriend for ditching me.”

It was Noah’s turn to break eye contact, look down at his hands. “It’s not like I haven’t given you reason to-”

“No.” Luke lifted his head back up, holding his gaze, and his chin, determinedly. “That’s so far in the past it’s ridiculous. You’re not a quitter, you don’t just up and leave people behind. I don’t think you’re weak or unavailable or selfish. That’s not you anymore- or me- and I know that. You should know that.”

“And you should know that what happened wasn’t your fault. You can’t blame yourself for feeling what you were supposed to feel then.” Noah covered Luke’s hand with his own, squeezing it reassuringly.

“What I was ‘supposed’ to feel? You skipped work and classes and everything without telling anyone, and I should have been suspicious of that, worried. Instead I didn’t see anything wrong with it beyond how it affected me. My grandmother was right, I am a spoiled brat.” Luke laughed without any humor.

“Hey,” Noah put as much force into his voice as he could, even as on the inside he began fighting off the pull of the painkillers in his body. “It was Zac and Zoe, okay? They did this. They played you.”

Luke wasn’t so ready to let go. “And I let them! I let my problems with Damian get in the way of… of you.” He shook his head. “You almost died, Noah. I had to sit there next to you when you were delirious and in pain, not able to touch you. And every time you passed out I had to hope to God you’d wake up again, that…” he shook his head again, stalling until he got himself back in control. Noah stayed quiet, watching him sadly. “That every time you were awake wouldn’t be that last time I’d ever talk to you.” He choked on his breath, hands shaking as they touched Noah. “I’m so sorry.”

Noah pushed himself up painfully, leaning over to Luke and kissing him firmly. Full of love and absolution. “Okay, I forgive you. Please, don’t be upset anymore. Please?”

Luke smiled into the kiss, letting out a little laugh. When they both drew back he helped Noah settle into the cushions again. He ran his hand through Noah’s messy hair, letting the slight curls sift through his fingers. “I can’t tell you how much I love you,” he said quietly.

“Yes you can,” Noah said just as softly, insisting. “You do. All the time.” He shifted forward a little, and Luke immediately lifted his arm so Noah could lean more into him, dropping it gently around Noah’s shoulders. They sat like that for some time, resting against each other. Luke pushed away the slight flashback of being tied back-to-back against Noah, resting on each other then. No, they were safe now. They were okay.

Noah shook his head a little as though to clear it, and Luke could feel him relaxing more heavily against him. “You alright?” He asked, turning to get a better look at his boyfriend.

“Yeah,” came the answer in a sigh. “I just feel… heavy…?” Noah’s voice sounded rougher, the words drawing out slower. His eyelids were stuck at half-mast, and he was sinking deeper and deeper into Luke’s arms.

Luke couldn’t help but smile again. “Yeah, the drugs will do that to you,” he softened his own voice, leaning his head to the side to touch Noah’s. “You want to skip lunch, get some sleep instead?” He kept his arm across Noah’s shoulders and moved his right hand to Noah’s torso, about to help him up and get him to bed.

“No,” Noah was quick to respond, grabbing Luke’s hand and keeping it against his body. “No, I want to stay here, okay?” As if to prove his point, he wrapped both hands around Luke’s and leaned back even further, keeping them both in place on the couch.

“Sounds great,” Luke said, almost soothing. He squeezed Noah’s hands reassuringly, his other hand running along Noah’s face and hair. “I love this couch,” he added pleasantly.

Noah paused, then chuckled shyly. “I’m being stupid, aren’t I?”

“No, no, baby,” Luke lightly kissed Noah’s cheek. “Your week sucked, okay? You’ve been through enough. We’re doing whatever you want.”

“You don’t have to make a fuss over me,” Noah mumbled, turning his head so it rested against Luke’s shoulder and chest. One of his hands began idly playing with an errant string at the cuff of Luke’s sleeve.

He couldn’t help but laugh. “Not have to. _Want_ to.” Another kiss. “Don’t worry, just relax for awhile.”

Noah complied almost instantly and burrowed himself into Luke’s embrace, barely wincing when the movement pulled at his wound and bandage. The drugs were really kicking in now. “Not a problem,” he replied, words coming out a little slurred and faint.

Luke rested his chin on top of Noah’s head. “Lunch can wait, get some sleep,” he whispered. Noah was out before he had even finished the sentence. Luke was still half-reclined against the arm of the couch, arms wrapped around his boyfriend. It was an awkward position for his body, should have been uncomfortable, but Luke had never felt more content in his life.

The drugs worked wonders, and Noah slept completely through lunch and some of the afternoon. When he awoke, he and Luke stayed wrapped up in blankets and each other on the couch, watching movies (including- finally- the new “Batman”). After that, Noah felt strong enough to get up and join the Snyders for dinner.

It was thankfully- blissfully- quiet and low-key. Lily had subtly made sure that everything on the table was within reach of Noah’s right arm, and she and Holden kept up a steady, casual chatter about work and the kids and the state of the Cubs’ season so far. Luke joined in occasionally, but for the most part he was content to listen while he kept a not-so-secretive eye on Noah.

He ignored the half-hearted, half-joking glares Noah sent his way every time he checked to make sure he was eating and taking his meds at the right time (antibiotics every four hours, painkillers every six). Luke didn’t care, he’d earned the right to be a little overprotective. Noah must have understood, because he put up with Luke’s fussing as much as he could.

Mostly. “When did you get so bossy?” he muttered as Luke whisked away his plate and bowl after ordering Noah to stay seated at the table and take his pills.

“Since someone put a bullet in your arm. So shut up,” Luke shot back very cheerfully. Noah really wanted to help with the clean-up after dinner, even stood up and tried to, but Lily and Holden wouldn’t hear of it. They directed him to go back and relax on the couch, and of course Noah obeyed. Though Luke could hear him mumbling something about all Snyders being bossy as they left him in the family room.

Luke watched for a moment, smiling fondly, before turning and following his parents into the kitchen. “Thanks, Mom, for the dinner. And for letting him stay here.”

Lily smiled warmly. “Of course, sweetie. We’re not going to let our boy recover from a gun shot wound all alone in some loud, dirty residence hall!” Luke couldn’t help but grin. _Our boy_. It always pleased him, so much, that Noah was considered a part of the family. He knew Noah loved it too. “Besides,” his mom continued, “I’d like to keep an eye on him- and you- for my own sake. Something tells me if Noah was staying in the dorms, we wouldn’t be seeing a lot of you this week.”

Luke had the good grace to blush, especially since it was true. “Yeah, well, I like to keep an eye on my boyfriend too,” he explained unnecessarily. He turned to go after said boyfriend when Holden stopped him.

“Luke, there’s something we need to discuss with you,” he said quietly, much more serious.

Luke sobered. This didn’t sound good. “What is it?” If they thought he and Noah were going to stay in separate rooms tonight… no friggin’ way.

“Margo is going to be coming by tonight to get your official statement- yours and Noah’s. We thought you’d feel more comfortable doing it here instead of at the police station,” Lily spoke gently.

“T-tonight?” Luke stuttered. A flash of fear and tension hit Luke, radiating from the pit of his stomach outward. There were some things he just didn’t want to talk about. And Noah… “Noah just took another round of meds. I don’t know if he’s up for that, maybe we should-”

“Luke,” Holden’s voice was calm, steadying. “It’s been three days. I think- we think- you both need to talk about what happened.” He looked Luke straight in the eye. “You can’t keep putting this off, son.”

Luke was silent, trying to rack his brain and come up with any excuse not to do this, but none came. He deflated with a sigh. “Alright. Let me talk to Noah about it.”

Holden smiled encouragingly, a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “Okay. We’ll be in here if you need us. Margo should be here sometime within the next hour.”

Hour? Luke took a deep breath, nodded, and went out to join Noah on the couch. His eyes were closed, but the second Luke settled down next to him they opened, and Noah gave him a lazy, sleepy smile that Luke couldn’t help but return. He was probably going to Hell for thinking this (and Noah would absolutely kill him if he knew Luke was thinking this), but there was something adorable and downright sexy about a slightly-stoned Noah.

He had discovered this the first day in the hospital, how much more relaxed and open Noah’s face became. How he was a little more playful, less internal. It gave Luke a glimpse at the little boy Noah might have been if he hadn’t been raised by the Colonel, and of the man he was becoming thanks to his relationships with the Snyders, with Luke. Luke loved it so much.

“Hey love,” Luke said softly, still smiling. He took Noah’s right hand in his, playing idly with his long and tapered fingers.

“Hey yourself,” Noah answered, his voice a little deeper with that just-about-to-fall-asleep tone to it. He pulled his hand close, gave Luke’s a soft kiss before dropping it back down.

“You tired?” Luke asked, wondering then if maybe now really wasn’t the best time to do their statements.

“No, no, I’m fine,” his boyfriend assured him. “Drugs just make me… fuzzy.” He frowned at the word, the best he could come up with.

Luke chuckled, carefully putting his arm around him. “That’s why we just say no.”

“I wish,” Noah sighed, laying his head on Luke’s shoulder.

After a few minutes of just sitting and being able to touch each other (something both of them silently swore they’d never take for granted again), Luke took a deep breath. It was now or never. “Hey Noah?”

“Yeah?” Noah’s hand was on Luke’s knee, fingers tracing a rip in his jeans.

“Do you think you’re ready to tell the cops what happened?”

The hand on his knee stilled. “Why?”

“Margo’s coming here tonight, to get our official statements. This way we won’t have to go to the station, it’ll just be us and Margo.” Another casual chuckle. “And probably my parents.” Noah didn’t say anything, but his hand went back to tracing the tear in the denim. Luke watched as Noah bit his lower lip, thinking hard. “Hey,” Luke lifted his hand from Noah’s shoulders and skimmed it through his dark hair, bringing Noah’s attention up to him. “If you don’t want to, we don’t have to. It’s okay. We can wait-”

“No, it’s okay,” Noah shook his head, determined. “We might as well get it over with, right?” He looked up at Luke as if for confirmation.

“Right,” he agreed, eyes searching Noah’s face for any sign of trouble.

Noah’s frown deepened, sensing Luke’s hesitation. “Your statement too? Are you going to be okay?”

He couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine. Not exactly looking forward to my parents hearing what actually happened, or almost actually happened, with Zoe, but…” And then Noah was very still and very quiet again. “Noah? What is it?”

“Luke,” he began, tentative and soft. “Will you promise me something?”

“Anything,” he responded automatically. His hand unconsciously came up to comb through Noah’s hair once more.

Noah worried his bottom lip between his teeth again, gathering himself. “When… when I give my statement… what you hear… please, don’t be mad at me?”

 _Please, don’t be mad at me_. Luke had another semi-flashback. Noah had said that in the phone call, when Luke had accused him, snapped at him, for running away. No, Luke reminded himself. It wasn’t my fault. Zac and Zoe, Zac and Zoe. “Why would I get mad at you?”

“Just… when I tell what happened, don’t get upset with-”

“Noah, I promise. You won’t even let me be mad at _me_ , how am I supposed to be mad at you?” Noah still looked uncertain, worried even, but was interrupted from answering by a knock at the door. Luke took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Here we go.”

TO BE CONTINUED!

Coming Up: Luke and Noah give their statements. Luke reacts poorly when Noah tells his story.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Noah give their statements to Margo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again. One of my first. 2009. Be kind, keep that in mind. :)

“Okay, you two ready?” Margo asked, setting her tape recorder down on the coffee table. Both boys were sitting on the couch again, trying to appear casual, collected. They nodded stiffly, almost in unison. Margo sat in the chair next to them, while Holden and Lily stood as close as they could without being accused of hovering. Though neither boy would admit it, they felt better having Luke’s parents nearby. “Who wants to start?”

For a second, neither spoke. Luke glanced over at Noah, but Noah’s eyes were cast down, seemingly staring at the blanket that covered his legs. He had wrapped his right arm around himself, hand playing idly with his bandage on the opposite arm. Luke reached over and pulled the hand away, holding it lightly in his. “I will,” he said firmly. Noah’s face gave nothing away, but he did grip Luke’s hand tighter in relief.

“Okay Luke,” Margo smiled, trying to put him at ease. “Just give me a rundown of everything that happened after you left the police station the day of the ransom note.”

Luke took a deep breath, pushed away the tension gnawing at him, and began to speak. He told Margo (and the rest of his audience) about talking to Zoe in Old Town, about getting the text from Noah’s phone, about finding Noah tied up and gagged and about getting captured himself.

Noah chimed in a little to help talk about Zoe and her family (and he caught Noah’s slight smirk at the mention of the “freaky shrine to her dead mother”), and Zac taking a gun to the ransom drop. They explained getting free of the ropes, almost escaping before Zac and Zoe got back, and then Noah fell silent again as Luke described Noah getting shot, passing out and bleeding, convincing Zoe to go get medicine for him.

At one point Lily made a pained noise somewhere behind him as he told them about fighting to keep Noah awake, having to remind him where he was every time he woke up. Noah kept his head down, staring at the blanket again, even as his grip on Luke’s hand remained strong.

And then, Luke stopped. He really didn’t want to talk about this next part, didn’t want to relive it. Noah must have known, because he squeezed Luke’s hand reassuringly, subtly moving closer until their shoulders were resting comfortably against each other. Luke looked over and smiled at him, wished he could kiss him right then and there.

“Luke?” Margo prompted gently. She basically knew from Damian’s statement what had happened next. But she had to hear it from Luke, and she was positive Luke needed to talk about it, get it out of him.

The blond-haired boy cleared his throat awkwardly, suddenly _really_ wishing his parents weren’t around to hear this. “Um, when… when Zoe got back, and after they let me talk to Mom on the phone, she- she said she’d only give Noah the meds if I did something for her. She said she wanted justice. The Grimaldi money should go to her and her… children, real Grimaldi children.” Another breath. “She was going to let Noah die unless I got her pregnant.” Luke heard his mother make another sound behind him, but he didn’t dare turn to look. He kept his eyes fixed on his and Noah’s joined hands.

“She wanted you to sleep with her?” Margo asked as business-like as she could.

Luke nodded. He could feel his face burning red, embarrassment and anger warring for control in him. He was telling himself to shut up, but now that he had opened this door everything was falling out and he couldn’t stop it. “She said if I didn’t, she wouldn’t help Noah. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to save Noah, but I couldn’t- couldn’t…”

Noah’s thumb brushed gently back and forth across his knuckles, steady and comforting. Luke took a second to gather himself, and realized that Noah was finally looking at him. They locked eyes, carrying on a conversation that didn’t need words.

Luke drew some strength from those brilliant-blues and then continued. “She started kissing me. I was still tied up, I couldn’t do anything.” God, that had been the worst part of it- like being paralyzed all over again. “I told her to stop, but she wouldn’t. But then she leaned over to… to untie me, I think. And that’s when Noah stopped her.” He tapped lightly on Noah’s hand still held in his. “And then Damian came in with Zac, and they fought for the gun.”

That had been kind of terrifying too. He had been sitting there helpless while Noah fought off Zoe and Damian and Zac both held the gun. The barrel, which had last been used to shoot Noah, seemed to point at every person in the room at least once. Like some sick game of Duck-Duck-Goose. “Damian finally got control, ordered both of them away from us. The rest you know.”

There was a moment of silence. Finally done, Luke leaned back even further into the sofa cushions. He was exhausted, like he had just run a marathon, but also a little lighter. He had to admit, telling the story did make him feel better. It was out in the open, people knew it now, and he didn’t feel as ashamed as he thought he would.

It helped that his parents were standing close behind him, his dad’s hand finding its way to his shoulder. And Noah, his wonderful, still kind of high-on-meds Noah, had found a way to intertwine not only their fingers together, but also somehow their entire arms until he couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.

In a way it reminded Luke of when they had been tied back-to-back in the storage locker, trying to hold hands even as their fingers went numb, just happy to touch each other. Luke reached over with his free hand to rub Noah’s shoulder, knowing it was about to be his turn to speak.

Sure enough, “Noah? Are you ready?” Margo turned her attention to the other, quieter boy on the couch. Noah looked at Luke again, received a nod of encouragement from his boyfriend, and then in turn nodded to Margo. Unconsciously, or maybe subconsciously, he adopted the same stance that Luke had- squared shoulders, head down, eyes fixed on their held hands. Margo smiled gently. “Start from after you left this house last week.”

“Here?” Noah questioned hesitantly. “Or the Lakeview?” If he hadn’t been avoiding Luke’s gaze earlier, he definitely was now. Luke couldn’t help but feel irritated that Noah had once again gone against his wishes and talked to Damian.

If it had been anyone else but Noah, Luke would be pissed. But this was the guy who’d spent the first seventeen years of his life being controlled and ordered around and repressed. In a way, Luke was kind of proud of him for going with his own instincts instead of what he was told to do. He just wished it hadn’t had to involve his biological father.

“Yes, sorry, after you talked to Damian,” Margo amended. She pointed the tape recorder in his direction.

Noah eyed the recorder for a moment like the enemy it was, before going back to studying Luke’s hand. After another beat of silence, Noah spoke of how he ran into Zac and Zoe in Old Town and saw their Pisces necklaces. “I shouldn’t have said anything to them,” Noah continued, “but I couldn’t help it. They always put me off-kilter. I think I just wanted to test them, see what would happen. But they laughed it off and walked away. That was it.”

“They didn’t attack you then?” Margo asked. Noah shook his head. Luke frowned; he didn’t know any of this story. They’d had more pressing issues to deal with when they’d been tied up, and once Noah was in the hospital both boys had purposefully avoided discussing the details of their experiences. “When did they grab you?” Margo pushed on.

“The next morning,” Noah answered slowly, the memories playing through his mind like a movie…

 _6am. Noah hated 6am. He wasn’t a morning person at all- he only took the opening shifts at Java when he had to, never scheduled classes for before 10am. And yet, here he was walking around before the sun was even fully rising. He had tossed and turned all night before finally deciding that sleep just wasn’t coming, thoughts of hackers and Pisces and the stupid twins running through his head._

 _Could they really be involved? And if they were, how would he convince Luke? Especially considering he’d have to tell Luke that he had gone to see Damian last night instead of studying. Luke wasn’t going to like that._

 _Noah groaned out loud. This whole situation sucked. And he was exhausted. He found himself in Old Town, staring down at the bench the twins had been sitting on the night before. They did show up in town the same time all this trouble started, didn’t they? But it just wasn’t enough evidence to accuse them of anything. At least not yet. Noah shook his head to try and clear it. His instincts were telling him that those two were-_

 _“Hey there, Monster.”_

 _Noah froze, slowly turning to see Zac standing next to him, staring at him in that way that always made Noah feel really uncomfortable. “Zac.” He cleared his throat, surreptitiously taking a couple steps back. “Where’s Zoe?”_

 _“Oh,” Zac sighed airily. “She’s around.” He took a few steps closer, invading Noah’s personal space again. “What has you up so early?”_

 _Noah found himself backing up again, wishing he had a real reason to just punch this guy. He hated it when people forced their way too close into his personal space (except Luke, of course); it made him think of his father. “Film lab opens at six.” It was the first excuse he could come up with. Truthfully? He was going to the library, to the public records section, to look up any information on Zac and Zoe Finn. Luke really should have done that when he hired them._

 _Zac leered at him, looking him up and down. “So the early bird going to catch the worm, huh?”_

 _Noah suddenly wanted to turn, go back to the dorms, and take like eight showers. With bleach. “What do you want, Zac?” he snapped, feeling really jittery. Now more than ever, he knew something was wrong with these two._

 _“Gosh, Noah, why so touchy? If anything,” he was making his way closer once more, “I’m the one who should be snippy. You practically accused us of being anti-gay terrorists last night.” He leaned in, Noah having to back himself nearly to the brick wall behind him to avoid contact. Zac continued, lowering the pitch of his voice. “I think we both know that can’t be true.”_

 _“I don’t know anything,” Noah cut in, “about you or your sister. What I do know is that I don’t want either of you anywhere near Luke. Or me.”_

 _Zac just smiled. “But we’re friends, Monster. And everyone knows a solid friendship is built on a foundation of trust, so-”_

 _"I don’t trust you,” Noah said immediately. “And we’re not friends.” He noticed Zac was moving to him slowly, so he moved away._

 _“We could be,” Zac smirked suggestively. “We could be more than friends.” His hand came up to slide across Noah’s chest. Noah shuddered, moving away yet again. He was about to throw a punch when, suddenly, he realized- Zac was corralling him this way on purpose. Into the alley. Oh hell no._

 _Noah tried to side-step around Zac, but Zac just got right back in his face, hands going to Noah’s shoulders, shoving him back into the alley with more than a little force. “Where do you think you’re going? We’re not done.”_

 _“Yeah, Zac, we are.” Noah felt his hands begin clenching into fists. When Zac started to let his own hand trail down from Noah’s shoulder to his chest again, Noah knocked the hand away, pushing Zac back violently. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Zac just smiled, and Noah couldn’t take it anymore. He drew back his fist to finally bash Zac’s face in when someone grabbed it. Taken off guard, Noah let his arm fall, turning around. It was Zoe. “What-?”_

 _He’d let his guard down, and that was what they had been waiting for. Now that he was facing Zoe, Zac was able to sneak up behind him, and all of a sudden his arms were grabbed and pinned behind his back. At the same time, Zoe produced a bottle and rag out of her purse, doused the rag, and pressed it tightly to Noah’s mouth and nose, trapping Noah’s body between the two of them._

 _He couldn’t breathe. Noah struggled, trying to pull free of Zac, pull free of Zoe, but he wasn’t able to. Slowly, his body started to go numb, and little black dots in his vision grew larger and larger until he could barely see what was in front of him. Just when he was sure he was about to pass out, he felt the rag be removed from his face. Noah fought to keep his eyes open even as his body began to sag to the ground._

 _But he didn’t fall. Two pairs of hands grabbed him, pulled his arms over their shoulders, and forced him down the alley. Noah stumbled along between them, trying to fight, run away, at least yell for help. But they had control over him, and he could barely stay awake._

 _Zac and Zoe dragged him to the van waiting out of sight at the end of the alley, opened the back door, and threw him in. He landed none-too-gently sprawled on the seat with a quiet groan. “What are you…?” he mumbled, wishing he could yell. Really wishing he’d had time to punch Zac in his face._

 _“Tsk tsk, Monster. It’s quiet time, now go to sleep,” he heard one of them- he honestly wasn’t sure which one- taunt from somewhere nearby. Ropes bit into the skin of his wrists as his hands were tied behind his back. It should hurt, Noah knew it should, and it worried him that he could barely feel it._

 _He managed another groan, turning onto his side on the backseat. His eyes were closed, when had he closed his eyes? God, he had to warn Luke. He had to… “No,” he mumbled, trying with everything he had to sit up. But his limbs were way too heavy, and his hands tied behind him made every movement too difficult. “No, Luke…”_

 _“Sorry Lover Boy, but the BF’s not here.” Two sets of hands shoved him back down on the seat. “And I thought I told you to keep quiet.”_

 _The sound of tape ripping, and then something heavy covering his mouth, gagging him. He choked for a second, trying to remind himself to breathe through his nose, trying to work oxygen back into his lungs. Stay awake, stay awake. Pay attention to your surroundings. (His father’s training.) Figure out where they’re taking you, remember how to get back._

 _The van started up, and someone sat down next to him, pulling his head into their lap. He was pretty sure it was Zoe. God, he hoped it was Zoe. Stay awake, stay awake. Fingers raked through his hair over and over. It was a gesture somewhere between soothing and absolutely batshit insane. “Sweet dreams, Noah.” It was Zoe. “Don’t fight it, just go to sleep. Everything will be better when you wake up.”_

 _For some reason, Noah really doubted that. But there was nothing he could do. The exhaustion he had been feeling, the drugs, the air he was struggling to breathe in… add it all up, and Noah was slowly sliding into oblivion. His last thought was of Luke- he was going to be so pissed Noah was right about the twins…  
_  
“I woke up in the storage locker, tied up and gagged,” Noah concluded. “They left me alone for awhile- I don’t know how long, felt like a long time- and then Zac untied me and gave me my phone, said I had to call Luke and tell him I was in Lisbon. I told him I wouldn’t do it, but he pulled out a gun and said if I didn’t… he would go get Luke, bring him here and kill him in front of me, and then kill me.”

Luke bit back a gasp at that, starting to feel a strong rush of rage build up in his chest. That he would be used in that way, it angered Luke more than he thought possible.

“Zac told me what to say, said if I tried to tell the truth then he and Zoe would hurt Luke. So I had to… I had to,” he repeated, insisting, turning to look at Luke.

“I know, it’s okay,” Luke struggled to keep his voice even, skimmed his hand across the back of Noah’s head and kept it on the back of his neck, squeezing gently.

Noah’s head bowed under the weight, and he didn’t look up again. “Zac tied me back up. He and Zoe said something about having plans for Luke, then they left me alone for a few… hours, I think, I don’t know.” Time had moved very differently in that storage locker. Noah still had a hard time understanding that he’d been in there for four days. Sometimes it felt like he’d been there for months, other times like just one really long day. “It was probably overnight?” he guessed.

“And the next day was the day they sent the ransom note, right?” Margo clarified.

Noah nodded. The next day was the day he didn’t want to talk about, not in front of Luke. Luke was going to be mad at him, he was sure of it. In fact, he couldn’t figure out why no one seemed mad at him to begin with- _he_ had been the one stupid enough to get kidnapped by the psycho Wonder Twins, to get Luke dragged into that hellhole of a storage locker. He hadn’t been able to escape when he had the chance.

God, he hadn’t even been able to stand a wound to his friggin’ _arm_. And now he was putting a burden on the Snyder family to take care of him. This whole thing sucked, and now Luke was going to hear about-

“Noah? What happened before Luke got to the storage locker?” Margo broke through the fog surrounding Noah’s brain. He wondered how long he’d been silent while the others were waiting. The drugs were really screwing with his head.

“Uh, Zoe went off to talk to Luke, Zac stayed behind with me.” His voice was getting quieter, more tentative, despite the fact that Noah just wanted to blurt everything out in one breath and be done with it. “I tried to talk Zac into letting me go, turning himself in. I said I would talk to you for him,” he directed that at Margo, who smiled a little (of course, Noah would do that) and motioned for him to continue.

Noah took a deep breath, gripping Luke’s hand tighter. Luke removed his hand from Noah’s neck so he could turn and look at him questioningly, a little worried, but Noah couldn’t face him. “Zac said he didn’t believe me, I- I would have to prove to him that he could trust me.” Now Noah’s face was starting to darken with color, and his hands shook a little.

Red flags. Alarms. Bells and whistles and giant flashing neon WARNING signs. Luke’s brain was full of them, and he really started to worry. What the hell?! And then a horrible, horrible thought popped into his head- this had to have been before Zac had been revealed to be Zoe’s lover. At this point, he was still crazy pansexual ‘Z,’ who called Noah “Monster” and kissed him without warning in Al’s. Tried to seduce him in Luke’s own goddamn bedroom. Luke opened his mouth to say… something, but no words could possibly form. The wave of rage in him was reaching epic and tsunami-like proportions.

Noah shrugged his good shoulder, looking for all the world like he wanted to throw himself off a cliff. “H-he said he’d let me go if I slept with him first.” He stopped, let that sink in. He wasn’t sure if it would for the others; it hadn’t really sunk in with him yet, and he was the one who had been there. And now for the other giant, miserable shoe to drop: “And I said okay.” Luke’s hand went still and limp in Noah’s.

Noah couldn’t bring himself to look at him, at any of them. He hurried on, upset, wanting to explain. “Not at first, but he kept _taunting_ me about it. And I needed him to untie me. Zac had these hand weights out, I thought maybe I could grab one, use it as a weapon. I didn’t know where I was, I had to incapacitate him-” (his father’s training again) “-so I’d have a chance to get free without him going after me.” Luke still wasn’t holding his hand.

No one else in the room made a sound; it felt like no one else in the room was even breathing. “He untied me and told me to- to unbutton his shirt. And I tried to move back, but… I’d been tied up for a few days, and they hadn’t given me any food. I couldn’t move fast enough. Zac knew what I was doing, he grabbed one of the weights before I could, pinned me against the wall.”

Luke had now pulled his hand out of Noah’s grasp. He could feel Luke’s entire body shaking, barely controlled, through the contact at their shoulders. “He hit me in the back of the head. Not really hard, not enough to bleed or anything. But I guess I collapsed, ’cause the next thing I know he’s tying me back up against the post. And making fun of me.” He felt incredibly uncomfortable, could feel everyone except for Luke staring at him.

Without thinking, he went to wrap his arms around himself protectively, but the motion pulled at his wound. He groaned softly at the sharp and sudden pain, and that seemed to be the final straw for Luke. He jumped to his feet, Noah feeling the loss of contact instantly. “Luke?” he stammered out.

Luke didn’t seem to hear him. “I’m going outside,” he announced, not looking at Noah.

Noah felt his heart sink down to his feet. No. Luke was mad at him. But he had promised Noah he wouldn’t get upset! “Wait-” he reached up with his good arm, trying to grab hold of him. But Luke wrenched himself free, causing Noah to flinch involuntarily from shock or pain or fear, he really didn’t know.

“Luke!” Lily finally spoke up, calling out to him.

“Not now,” Luke said through gritted teeth, even as he made his way to the door. He yanked the door open and slammed it shut behind him without another word, without a backward glance.

The family room was silent for a moment. Noah was staring at the door, breathing hard, just this side of panic. Luke was mad at him. It didn’t matter if Luke had promised he wouldn’t. He was right; it was Noah’s fault that everything had gotten so out of control. He had let Zac think he’d sleep with him- he had basically betrayed Luke. He had-

A hand on his shoulder stopped Noah in his self recrimination. He looked up at Holden, devastated. Holden patted his arm gently, “I’ll talk to him, don’t worry.” And then he followed Luke out the door.

Luke hadn’t gone far, was actually pacing back and forth across the driveway, mouth set in a grim line. His hands clenched into fists over and over again, eyes casting around like he was looking for something to hit. Holden wisely stayed out of range, leaning up against the side of the house. It took Luke a few seconds to realize he was there and acknowledge him. He shook his head. “I’m going to kill him.”

Holden frowned, his brain still trying to process everything that had been revealed in the last thirty minutes. “Who? Noah?”

Luke stopped dead in his tracks, looking at his dad like he was crazy. “What?! Are you kidding? Zac, I meant Zac. I’m going to kill _him_.” He went back to his pacing.

“First of all, you’re not killing anyone. There’s been enough of that this past week. There’s been enough of everything. You need to calm down, alright?” Holden was half-tempted to stick his foot out in Luke’s path and trip him if it meant Luke would slow down.

“Calm down? Dad, that guy attacked Noah, drugged him, kidnapped him- and that was the stuff I already knew about! But… but this… he- what he did to Noah…” Luke was nearly vibrating, he was so tense.

“Luke, it sucks, but there’s nothing you can do about what happened,” Holden spoke softly, keeping perfectly still except for his eyes, which tracked his son stalking back and forth. “Only thing you can do now is put it behind you and try to heal from this. And help Noah try to heal from this.”

That brought Luke to a standstill once again. Oh no. “God, I just left him in there, didn’t I? I was so mad, I had to move. Do something. I didn’t mean to walk out on him!”

“I know you didn’t, Luke. It’s okay. You both went through something pretty damn horrible, you’re going to have moments where you freak out.” Holden put his hand on Luke’s shoulder. Luke started, he hadn’t realized Holden had walked up so close to him. “I’m going to say this now, and we don’t have to talk about it ever again. But here goes. I am so sorry for what happened to you with that girl. It was awful and no one should ever have to go through what you and Noah went through. But you’re okay now, and Noah’s going to be okay. I have no doubt in my mind that you both can get through this, with each other and with your mom and me to help. I promise you we will do everything we can, whatever you need. And you being there for Noah like you are, I am so proud of you. Okay?”

Luke felt his face turning red again, both ashamed and pleased. He didn’t really feel worthy of that kind of praise, but hearing it from his dad certainly made him feel a lot better. He gripped Holden’s shoulders tightly, pulling him in for a hug that Holden returned with the same amount of strength. “Thanks, Dad. Really.”

“I love you, kiddo. You have no idea how glad I am that you’re back home.” Holden squeezed him closer for a brief moment before letting go, drawing back to look at Luke’s face.

Luke sniffed, wiped away some moisture at his eyes. “Yeah?”

Holden gave a tentative grin. “So glad, I’m almost tempted to take Damian out for a steak dinner to thank him.”

Luke felt himself chuckle at that. “Wow, that is glad.”

Holden slung an arm around Luke’s shoulders, pulling him back towards the house. “Come on, let’s go make sure Noah’s okay.” Luke sobered a little, regretting how he had left. God, Noah was probably pissed at him for running off like that.

He and Holden were just stepping onto the terrace when Margo exited the house, nearly running into them. “Luke,” she stopped when she saw them. “You okay?”

He nodded, ducking his head a little. “Yeah. I’m sorry for running out like that, Margo. I just-”

She held up a hand, smiling gently. “It’s okay, kid, really. Believe me, I understand.”

Luke nodded, tried to smile. Holden looked past her shoulder into the house. “You done with the statements?” he asked.

She nodded. “Noah just finished giving his, I think Lily took him upstairs to get some rest. I’m on my way to the station now. With any luck, this whole mess will be over in a few days.” She focused on Luke. “I think I’ll be able to add a few more charges against those two thanks to yours and Noah’s statements. It’ll mean a harsher sentence and probably a speedier trial, if that helps at all.”

“It does,” Luke answered quietly. “Thanks Margo.” He would have said more, but his brain was already traveling up the stairs to Noah, wondering if he was okay. He wasn’t paying attention as Holden and Margo said their goodbyes, and Margo left.

Luke and Holden re-entered the now empty family room. Luke stood still for a moment, looking at nothing, drinking in the quiet after the craziness of this day. He tried to get his mind to process all that had happened in this room in the past few hours. It almost physically hurt to think about.

He was startled out of his thoughts when Holden gave him a playful shove towards the door to go upstairs. “Stop stalling and go take care of Noah,” his father ordered lightly. “And make sure your mom isn’t mothering him to death. Send her back down, we’ll be here if you need us for anything.”

Luke grinned a little. “Thanks, Dad.” They held each other’s gaze for a moment, Holden nodding back, before Luke finally turned to make his way upstairs to his bedroom and his boyfriend. Starting now, he was going to find a way to make all of this- this entire crappy ordeal- better. For the both of them.

  
TO BE CONTINUED!

Lily takes care of Noah, the boys finally talk...


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily realizes some things, Luke and Noah come to an understanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early in my writing-ness. Be kind, keep in mind! ;)

Lily was a little worried, she had to admit. Sure, after the week this family had been through, ‘worry’ was a relative term. She had been _worried_ \- a bone deep, terrified kind of worried- when her son and the boy she had (in her mind) unofficially adopted as a son were missing, kidnapped, threatened.

She was worried when a kidnapper- someone who had murdered a police officer in cold blood- handed her a cell phone and she heard Luke, trying to keep the panic and despair out of his voice, tell her that Noah had been shot. And then his voice had cut out. She was worried about Noah spending three days in a hospital, Luke with a blood-colored bruise on his face, both boys trying to avoid talking about what happened.

And now, as she ushered Noah into the bedroom, she was worried again. He had looked so stricken when Luke walked out and had finished giving his statement in faint, clipped phrases, staring down at his hands. He didn’t look up when he was finished or when Margo left. When Lily asked him if he wanted to try getting some sleep, go to bed, Noah had cast one quick, longing look to the door, obviously hoping Luke would walk back through.

But Luke didn’t, so Noah nodded, struggling to his feet, allowing Lily to help him out of the room and upstairs. And he wasn’t saying a word. “Here we are,” Lily found herself speaking softly as she brought him over to the bed, hands out to steady him as he sat down.

It wasn’t until then, as she was setting his pill containers on the table next to the bed, that she realized she had brought him to Luke’s room and not the guest room they had set up for him. She also realized she didn’t care. Lily wasn’t naïve, she knew the boys would end up sharing a room no matter what she and Holden did.

But it’s not like they could really do much physically, as Noah’s injury prevented even some of the most mundane activities, let alone anything remotely close to… _that_. And if just sleeping next to each other brought either boy some comfort right now, Lily wouldn’t stand in their way. And once Noah was healed he’d be going back to the dorm, so… They just had to make sure nothing got out of hand before then. Lily made a mental note to remember that.

But right now she had more important things to concentrate on, namely the seemingly catatonic Noah in front of her. He still wasn’t looking at her, eyes nearly closed, frowning miserably. For a second, Lily was reminded of about a year and a half ago (had it really been a year and a half?), when she and Holden had found Noah on that bench in Old Town and convinced him to come visit a wheelchair-bound Luke.

He had looked so devastated, abandoned, on that day, and Lily was sad to see him look that same way again. And a little surprised, as she couldn’t imagine why Noah would feel like that now.

“Noah? Honey, if you want to talk about anything…” She had her hand on his good shoulder, rubbing it gently. She could see him try to smile even as he shook his head. Lily kept her hand where it was and reached with the other to pull back the covers on the bed. “That’s okay, you probably talked enough for today, huh?” she kept her tone light, trying not to show how concerned she was by his continual silence. She knew she could blame it on his medication and the stress of the last week, but she still didn’t like it.

Noah eased himself back, cradling his left arm close to his body. He couldn’t help but close his eyes and sigh when he settled down on the bed, his head sinking heavily into the pillow. Lily smiled, drawing the comforter back up to his chest, grabbing an extra pillow to prop up his injured arm just as the doctor had shown them.

Noah looked a little bit startled by her actions, and Lily reminded herself that Noah probably hadn’t had anyone tuck him in for bed since he was… how old was he when Cheri left him? Three? God, that hurt her heart to think about.

“Do you think Luke is okay?” And now, he finally spoke. His voice was a little deeper than normal, sleep and meds and pent-up emotions pulling at him.

“I’m sure he is,” Lily reassured, fighting back a wider smile. She loved Noah for how much he loved her son. “He was just upset by what happened, you know? He needed a break.” Noah winced a little, and Lily wasn’t sure if it was from his arm or something else entirely.

“I’m sorry,” he said, so serious.

Lily blinked, racking her brain for the logical answer to her next question. “For what?”

“For what happened, for everything, for…” Noah was struggling with his words. “It’s my f-”

“Noah,” Lily stopped him, shocked, kicking herself for not anticipating that this would happen. Noah blamed himself. Oh, this boy was going to be the death of her. Lily brought her hand up to his forehead, gently brushing the hair back from his face like she used to do with her own children. She’d also seen Luke do this on more than one occasion at the hospital; she’s seen how it seemed to have a soothing effect on Noah, at least a little. “It’s not your fault. None of what happened was your fault.”

Noah shook his head, disbelieving. “I let it happen, and Luke-”

“Luke is just fine, thanks to you,” Lily’s voice cracked as she went back to that moment of realization when Luke was giving his statement. What that girl had almost done to her son… for a second Lily wanted to rant and scream and throw something, something made of glass that would shatter satisfyingly against a wall.

This is how Luke must have felt when he stormed out of the house. Which brought her attention back to Noah, who was still shaking his head. “You saved him,” she insisted.

“Damian did. I couldn’t even…” Noah’s voice shook as well. Lily found herself grabbing his hand, holding it firmly. “Luke is so mad,” he whispered, more to himself than to her. His blue eyes begged her to understand.

“Oh, sweetie, no. He isn’t mad at you,” Lily felt a tear drop down her face but didn’t dare let go of Noah’s hand to wipe it away. “He’s mad _for_ you, what you went through. I think Luke’s just upset he couldn’t protect you from that.”

“I don’t need protecting,” he mumbled, looking away, embarrassment coloring his cheeks red. “I can take care of myself.”

Lily had no doubt of that. After meeting Cheri and the Colonel, she figured Noah must have raised himself if he turned out this well, so caring and selfless. But outwardly, she shook her head. “Yes, you probably can. But sometimes, Noah, when people love you? They want to take care of you anyway. Which is why you wanted to protect Luke and why he was upset he couldn’t help you. And why you’re staying with us until you’re better. Because you’re a part of our family, and we _love_ that you’re a part of our family.”

Noah’s overbright eyes spoke so much more than Noah ever could. “Same here,” he whispered after a beat, looking down again. Lily thought she heard a sound behind her- someone trying to take a breath and failing- and turned to see a shadow standing just outside the doorway. Noah, in his exhausted and medicated state, didn’t notice.

She looked him over with a smile, knowing she wasn’t the one he needed convincing from right now. “I’ll let you get some sleep now, okay?” she spoke softer, smoothing back his hair again. His eyes closed involuntarily, face softening, and Lily was once again reminded of how young he really was. Impulsively she leaned down and kissed his forehead, encouraged by the fact that his lips curved up into the slightest smile. After re-adjusting the comforter and the pillow under his arm, Lily left him to rest, shutting the door behind her.

She turned to look at Luke where he leaned against the wall in the hallway. _And now, Round Two_. But Luke just shook his head, wiping at the tears that were trailing down his face. “Dad already gave me a pep talk,” he told her, half-smiling. “I’m okay, I think. Or,” he rolled his eyes, smiling genuinely. “I’ll be okay. I’m getting there, really.”

“Good,” she hugged him close, kissing his cheek. “I love you, Luke.”

“Love you too, Mom. Thanks for taking care of him while I was, you know,” he shrugged.

“Well, it’s not fair you’ve been hogging the right to look after him,” she teased. “I like doing it too.” He laughed a little, and she ventured on, needing to know. “How long have you-”

“Since you started tucking him in,” he teased her right back, though it was half-hearted. They both replayed the conversation that had just occurred in his bedroom. “Dad wanted me to make sure you weren’t mothering him too much,” he continued.

Lily’s smile turned a little sad. “I don’t know if that’s possible with him,” she said.

She was afraid she was upsetting Luke more, but he just grinned widely, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “Well, despite Dad’s warning, I plan on letting you try,” he joked. “Just, you know, not right now.” He gently steered her towards the downstairs. “My turn.” Lily obeyed with a laugh, making her way down the stairs to the kitchen and her husband.

Luke waited until he was sure she was gone, then entered his room, shutting and locking the door behind him. He stayed facing the door for a second, breathing deeply, gathering his courage before turning to face his boyfriend. His eyes were closed, chest moving up and down with slow, deep breaths.

Luke reveled in the tranquility and quiet for a bit, content to simply watch his boyfriend sleep. It’s funny, when they had first lived together at the farm Luke had loved watching Noah sleep; it always had such a calming effect on him. For as ADD as Luke could occasionally get, Noah’s quiet, steady presence always made him feel more at peace.

And while in that storage locker he had hated the sight, terrified that Noah wouldn’t wake up, in the hospital it had become something soothing again. It was a time when he could focus on Noah, study him and just enjoy him without Noah getting embarrassed by the attention.

Luke sat on the edge of the bed, perched next to Noah’s hip. Noah’s right hand was outstretched towards the empty space next to him- Luke’s space- as though reserving the spot for him. He smiled, gently picking up the hand and rubbing his thumb over Noah’s fingers, happy to note that the rope burn around his wrists had finally healed.

When his eyes traveled back up to Noah’s face, he was startled to see two bright blue eyes staring back at him, studying him. Luke unconsciously held his hand tighter, Noah tentatively returning the favor. “Hey,” Luke said softly. God, was that the only line he could open with these days?

Noah continued to look at him silently. Luke meant to give him the time to wake up and focus his brain, but his impatience ultimately won out. He opened his mouth to speak just as Noah did the same. “Are you okay?” they said at the same time, Luke leaning in closer and Noah trying to sit up. But then his face paled, creasing with a wince, and Luke had to stop him.

“Uh-uh, don’t even think about it,” Luke pressed him back down lightly with a hand to his chest.

“But I-” Noah protested even as he lay back down again.

“No,” Luke said firmly.

Noah looked up at him, plaintive. “You’re too far away,” he murmured, putting his own hand over Luke’s, keeping it against him.

Luke damn near melted at that. Grinning, he pulled back the comforter enough for him to slide into the bed next to Noah, aligning himself along Noah’s uninjured side. He kissed the very tip of Noah’s chin, grinning even wider when Noah turned to look at him with eyes pleasantly surprised. “Better?” he asked, situating himself so one hand propped up his head and the other stayed on Noah’s chest.

“Better,” Noah confirmed, smiling that shy little smile he got whenever he was embarrassed to be so happy. Luke was learning to read Noah’s expressions, even his smiles, for indications of how he was really feeling. Like now, he was obviously glad to have Luke there with him, but there was a shadow in his eyes that Luke didn’t like.

“I love you,” Luke said firmly, his own expression giving way to something serious.

“Love you too,” Noah replied automatically. His eyes were scanning Luke’s face, searching for either signs of anger or reassurance, Luke wasn’t sure which. “I’m sorry.”

Luke hoped his face conveyed the reassurance, and he slid his hand up Noah’s chest to the side of his face, fingers twisting playfully into the slight curls of his hair. “No, Noah.”

“But I let-”

“No. You didn’t ‘let’ anything happen. Bad stuff happened to you, but not _because_ of you. You don’t think I blame you for anything, do you?” Noah didn’t answer. His good hand was fiddling with the bandage on his other arm again. Luke reluctantly freed his hand from Noah’s hair in order to stop him from picking at the tape. Noah tried to hide his grimace, but Luke caught it anyway. “Noah?” he prodded.

“You promised,” Noah’s voice actually shook. Luke felt the pain from that more than any punch ever could. “It must have been really… if you got that mad, enough to walk out-” he cut himself off with a shake of his head. “It’s no big deal. I’m being stupid again.”

Luke finally found his voice, Noah’s words having shocked it out of him. “Yes, you are being stupid. There is absolutely nothing that I blame you for, that _you_ should blame you for. Got it? I know I promised I wouldn’t get mad at you, and I kept that promise. I’m not mad at you. There’s no way I could be.” He kissed Noah again, softly on the lips, trying to convey as much love and confidence in it as possible. “I’m so sorry I made you think that anything was your fault. I was just so… upset with Zac, and Zac and Zoe, and what they did to you- to both of us.”

“I don’t like it either,” Noah reminded him, turning on his side to face Luke. “I don’t like that you’re so busy taking care of me that you’re not taking care of yourself.”

“I like taking care of you,” Luke replied, smiling again. “And it’s a two-way street, Mayer. I don’t want you concentrating so hard on not hurting my feelings, okay? Concentrate on getting better.”

“Are you feeling better?” Noah asked, still not appeased, still concerned. “About what Zoe did?”

Luke thought about it, surprised to find that yeah, he did feel better. He nodded. “I am. It’s over, and I’ve told the people who need to know and I don’t feel dirty or judged or anything. It still freaks me out a little to imagine what could have happened, but luckily,” he kissed Noah again, “my big damn hero boyfriend came to the rescue.”

Noah snorted. “I didn’t do much.”

“It was enough,” Luke said firmly. “When it was happening, when I thought you were unconscious or in a coma or whatever, and Zoe was…” he shook his head. “I felt so _powerless_. And alone. Like I was in that wheelchair again. Like she could do whatever she wanted.”

Noah’s expression turned sad, but Luke continued on before he could speak. “But you were there, and you fought for me. Just like when I was in the chair,” he said with a little laugh. “And the fact that you were willing to do that for me,” he playfully pinched Noah’s chin. “Makes me feel good. About me, about you…”

“Yeah?” Noah was surprised that Luke was taking it all so well.

“Yeah,” Luke answered. He relaxed, turning onto his side so that he was fully facing Noah. “Now, if you really want to do something for me, you can tell me how you feel. Not about me, but about you and what you went through.”

Noah turned his gaze up to the ceiling, gathering his thoughts. “I was scared,” he said simply. “I didn’t know what they were going to do to me. And I was- I was stuck there, I didn’t know what time it was, what day it was. I didn’t even know if I was still in Oakdale or not.” He reached out almost blindly, and Luke obliged by taking his hand.

Noah closed his eyes for a second. “The worst was when they would leave me in there alone. I couldn’t fall asleep. I was hungry, thirsty. And I missed you.” Luke’s throat tightened, but he kept quiet. “I was going crazy. At one point I thought they had just left me there for good. That I was going to die in that storage locker. Alone.”

Luke hated that word. _Alone_. Some time ago he had realized that it was a big fear that he and Noah actually shared. He feared ending up alone, and he knew one of Noah’s biggest fears was being left alone. They had both done some stupid things in the past because of those fears. “I missed you too,” was all he could think to say, putting as much love and confidence into it as he could.

Noah smiled at him crookedly, kissing their joined hands. “And then with Zac…” he sighed heavily, eyes going back to the ceiling. “I mean, I feel kinda better now knowing it was all an act, but at the time? It was just- I felt… it was so wrong. He wasn’t you. It felt wrong. He kept, like, taunting me. Because he knew I hated it.” Of course Noah hated it; he hated being the center of attention. “And the two of them making out in front of me, trying to make me watch, always finding ways to- to touch me.” Noah shuddered, and Luke had to bite his lip to keep from cursing the damn fake twins to Hell and back.

Noah had come such a long way in their relationship. Luke had lost count of the number of times recently that Noah had initiated a kiss or an ‘I love you’ exchange, in public and in private. But even now, Noah was still an internal, reserved person by nature. Zac and Zoe had exploited that, using sexual advances in some form- either on him or each other- as a way to keep Noah captive and uncomfortable. It was a horrible kind of punishment.

“I’m so sorry that all of this happened,” he said softly, filling the silence. One last thing he needed to get off his chest. “They should have gone after me; it should have been me.” He put a finger to Noah’s lips when Noah made to protest. “It was my money they were after. And they used you… treated you like collateral. You’re more than that to me, more than a _prop_. Please don’t think any of us in this house wouldn’t trade our lives for yours.”

Noah flinched slightly at that, shook his head, and turned on his side so he and Luke were face to face, still holding hands. Luke’s free arm draped across Noah’s middle, twisting fingers in his shirt. Noah looked him square in the eye. “It’s okay, Luke. There isn’t a single part of me that thinks you’re to blame for any of it. Yeah, they were after your money, but it wasn’t because of anything you did. Just because this whole thing still sucks doesn’t mean you should try to make it your fault.”

Luke smiled in spite of himself. “So why can’t you give yourself that same benefit? Everyone else does.”

Noah was quiet for a second. “I’m trying,” he finally said. “My head’s all messed up, it’s hard to think straight.” That lazy smile reappeared. “No pun intended.”

God, Luke wanted to kiss him senseless for that. So he did. “You’re lucky you’re on drugs right now, Mayer. I’m going to blame the bad jokes on that.” Another kiss, lingering for awhile, to the side of his face, next to his eyebrow. Noah leaned into it, sighing when Luke pulled away. He lightly grabbed Luke’s shirt collar, tugging him close again. Luke pressed in as much as he could, so the two were nearly wrapped around each other.

Noah kissed him. “I’m lucky for a lot of things,” he countered, resting his head against Luke’s. They stayed that way for awhile, breathing in and out in time with each other. Luke moved his hand up to the long nape of Noah’s neck, gently kneading the muscles there.

He’d done it countless times in the last few days. When Noah had been unconscious, he had spent so much time collapsed sitting upright with his head hanging down that the muscles in his neck and shoulders had gotten severely strained by the time they were rescued. He could barely lift his head off the pillow that first day in the hospital.

A couple treatments had been recommended by the doctor- massage therapy, acupuncture- but when Luke saw how uncomfortable Noah was at the thought of strangers touching him, he took it upon himself to aid his boyfriend. And really, it had been the best solution for both of them.

Noah let out a soft, involuntary sigh at the touch, eyes closing. This was one outcome of their ordeal that Noah couldn’t say he hated. “I love you,” he breathed out. “I’m so… I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Luke leaned in even closer, rubbing their noses together for a second. He felt kind of silly doing it, but it was worth if for the goofy grin Noah sent his way. “The feeling’s mutual,” he matched Noah’s smile. Noah might have rolled his eyes a little, but the grin didn’t go away. Another kiss, ever-so-quick, and then Luke used his grip to roll Noah onto his back again. “You still need rest, babe. Lots of it. Now I want you to take your pills and sleep for awhile.”

This time he definitely rolled his eyes. “Bossy,” he murmured, even as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, reaching for the pill bottles.

“And proud of it,” Luke shot back. He sat up too, smacking Noah’s hand away lightly and grabbing the bottles himself, pouring out the right amount from each. He handed them to Noah, grimacing when his boyfriend didn’t wait for a cup of water. Noah always swallowed pills dry, it was a habit that completely grossed Luke out. Noah smirked, knowing it bugged him.

Once they were both lying down again, Noah pulled Luke close, and they wrapped their arms around each other. With his head leaning in against Noah’s chest to hear his steady heartbeat, one hand sneaking under Noah’s shirt to rub his stomach, Luke didn’t think it could get any better than this.

Until Noah sighed contentedly, kissing the top of Luke’s head and running his long fingers through Luke’s hair. And then Luke felt more at home- safer- than he had since running out of the house days ago because of a text message. “Sleep,” he figured Noah needed the reminder.

Noah sort of grunted an acknowledgment. Yep, still bossy. “Will you stay with me?”

Luke raised his head and leaned upwards, kissing Noah long and deep, a kiss that was reassuring and promising and everything else that meant I love you. “Forever,” he promised.

  
TO BE CONTINUED!

Coming up: The sentencing of Zac and Zoe...


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zac and Zoe are sentenced, Noah gets help from an unexpected person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!

“The court is now in session, the Honorable Robert Frasor presiding. Please rise.”

The entire courtroom stood as the judge entered. Luke kept his hand at Noah’s elbow to help him up, more out of habit and personal preference than actual necessity. In the two days since he’d been released from the hospital, Noah’s health had improved greatly. If it weren’t for the giant bandage, the winces when his left arm was stretched, and the fact that he still tired easily, you wouldn’t know that Noah was even injured.

Noah teasingly attributed it to the Snyder family constantly spoiling him, but Luke thought there was more than a grain of truth to that. Between Holden and Lily always checking up on him- making sure he took his meds and was careful of his arm- Emma pestering him to eat by bringing over feasts of his favorite food (though he would insist anything Emma cooked was his favorite), Jade and Casey setting up Casey’s Wii system in the Snyder family room so Noah could play a video game one-handed, and the younger kids giving him handmade get-well-soon cards (they hadn’t been allowed to visit him at the hospital, and once Faith had insisted she’d only give her card to Noah in person, Natalie and Ethan had quickly decided the same), Noah was well taken care of.

And then there was Luke himself. After the talk they’d had in his room the other night, both boys had an unspoken agreement to go to each other if they were feeling upset or down. Luke had developed some innate sixth sense as to when Noah was having a nightmare and was always able to wake him out of it, though he was happy to note that the bad dreams were fewer and far between since their talk.

And Noah had discovered a great way to bring Luke out of a funk if he started to feel sad or guilty about the kidnapping incident again. He’d kick him. Just lightly in the shin, not hard, just enough to startle him out of his thoughts. Then Luke would get indignant, and the expression on his face would make Noah grin, which made Luke grin, and that made Noah have to kiss him.

Then Jade or one of the girls would threaten to throw up. And by that point Luke would completely forget about being sad. He had to admit, it was a pretty devious and surprisingly effective plot from his straightforward, boy scout of a boyfriend.

Luke was brought out of his mental rambling and back to the present as the courtroom of people sat down again, he and Noah instinctively clasping hands. A door off to the left of the courtroom opened, and then there they were. Two cops led Zac and Zoe to their places at the defendants’ table.

They were both handcuffed, and while Luke was perversely hoping the handcuffs were cinched too tightly, Noah was wondering at how different, how young and _normal_ the two looked in state-issued jumpsuits, no piercings or make-up to hide behind. It freaked him out more than a little bit.

As if he knew he was being studied, Zac looked up and locked eyes with Noah. For a second, Noah was frozen. Despite the change in appearance, Zac’s eyes were the same- cold, calculating, slightly wild. Noah was about to look away, but then he noticed something else he hadn’t seen in Zac before. Fear.

Zac was afraid. He was no longer in control, and he might be going to prison for a long time- something that, if Noah remembered correctly from one of their previous conversations, Zac really didn’t want to do. Suddenly Noah just felt so sad for him, for the both of them. Their lives were pretty much over. Not that Noah didn’t believe they needed to face the consequences of their actions, but he truly wished they hadn’t gone so far and brought this on themselves.

Zac must have seen the pity on Noah’s face, because his own expression hardened into a glare, and then he leaned over to whisper something to Zoe.

Luke saw Zac glare at Noah, and it took everything in him not to rush at the guy and beat him senseless. When both Zac and Zoe looked at them, Luke felt nothing but contempt. They didn’t even look sorry for what they had done.

Luke obviously wasn’t the only one who noticed the attention. He felt Holden next to him shift just a little bit closer to him, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Lily- on the other side of Noah- put her hand on Noah’s forearm reassuringly.

They were almost literally surrounded by support, now that Luke thought about it. Behind them sat Jade, Alison, Casey, and Margo, all ready to testify if need be. And while he couldn’t see them, he knew Damian, Lisa, and Lucinda were sitting somewhere nearby as well.

When Zac and Zoe finally sat down and turned to face the judge, Luke breathed an internal sigh of relief, loosening his grip on Noah’s hand. Noah’s gaze slid over to him, and when Luke asked with his eyes if he was okay, Noah smiled a little and squeezed his hand again. _I’m fine. You?_ Luke nodded in response.

The trial began with the listing of the charges, and hearing them all together like that made Luke realize just how crazy this whole ordeal had been. Conspiracy, assault, kidnapping and extortion, larceny, assault with a deadly weapon, attempted manslaughter, attempted aggravated assault, not to mention Zac murdering an on-duty police officer…

Good God, he and Noah really were lucky nothing worse had happened to them. He snuck a glance to his left, saw his mother shaking her head in wonder at that long list, her hand still on Noah’s arm.

Noah was oblivious to Luke’s scrutiny, watching and listening to the proceedings intently. Luke wondered if there was a part of Noah that was studying this as a courtroom drama in his head. ‘Genre research,’ he would explain to Luke in that half film-snob, half please-don’t-make-fun-of-me tone he always got when he knew Luke was going to tease him about his love of movies.

Secretly, Luke loved that Noah was so geeky about filmmaking and was proud of him for it, and- if he was completely honest with himself- he was also slightly jealous that Noah had found his passion and knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life. The only things in his life that Luke was sure of were his love for his family (and it’s not like _they’re_ the most stable thing in the world) and Noah. Other than that…

Luke found himself wondering if this whole experience was supposed to get him to take stock of his life and then go after what he wanted. Well, it hadn’t. Really, all he wanted right now was for Noah to get better so the two of them could… be together.

It wasn’t like waiting to have sex was a _new_ concept for them, but now that they could have sex- and did on a regular basis- and there was an actual physical barrier blocking them, it was beyond frustrating. But he also knew he would refuse in a heart beat, even if Noah wanted to anytime anywhere. He was _not_ going to be the person responsible for hurting Noah’s arm more than it already was. Luke was being a good boyfriend. And it sucked.

Luke was once again interrupted from his thoughts, this time by the judge’s next question- “How do the defendants plea?” Luke could feel Noah take a deep breath, and they held tighter to each other’s hands. This was it. If Zac and Zoe pled not guilty, there was a good chance that he and Noah- and everyone else- would have to testify.

And yeah, they may have been able to put the experience behind them, but it didn’t mean they wanted to retell that damn story. Again. In front of a room full of people. Luke put his free hand on top of their joined ones. Next to him, his dad stretched an arm out to lie across the back of Luke’s seat, hand resting casually on Luke’s shoulder.

Luke found himself echoing Noah’s deep breath as the public defender stood. The man paused for a moment, and Luke was almost positive that he did it on purpose just to torture them. “Guilty, Your Honor.”

The second those words registered in Noah’s brain, he physically deflated, letting out the breath he’d been holding, bowing his head, his eyes closing in relief. Thank God. He so didn’t want to testify, didn’t want to hear Luke’s testimony, or Ali’s or Damian’s or anyone else’s. And definitely not Zac or Zoe’s.

“Very well,” the judge responded. “In accordance with state and police evidence already submitted, the motion by the prosecutor to waive civil testimony is granted. The court is now in recess until sentencing tomorrow.”

An audible sigh of relief went through the courtroom, as everyone realized that the worst of it was now over. Noah felt Casey clap him on the back jovially. Lily smiled and kissed him on the cheek. Noah couldn’t help but raise his head and smile back, so grateful for the way she had been taking care of him the last few days.

Noah was turning back to Luke just as Zac and Zoe were led back out of the room, back to their holding cells. Noah made the mistake of glancing their way, just as they looked in his direction. He purposefully avoided making eye contact with Zac- he couldn’t do that again- but the look he saw in Zoe’s eyes was somehow worse.

Suddenly she just looked like some lost, terrified little girl. Someone who had lost everything and everyone in her life. It felt like a punch to Noah’s stomach, and for the life of him Noah couldn’t figure out why it upset him so much. They had nearly killed him and Luke; they deserved whatever punishment would be given. So why…?

And then Luke’s hand was on his shoulder, his concerned eyes capturing Noah’s, and the thoughts Noah had been trying to chase then completely left his brain. He smiled at Luke, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. Tomorrow. This would all be over, tomorrow.

But that night Noah couldn’t get Zac and Zoe’s faces out his head. He lay in bed on his right side, Luke resting against his back. He could tell by the casual set of Luke’s arm around his waist and the slow, even breaths brushing against his neck that Luke was deeply asleep. But Noah couldn’t, despite the pull of the painkillers he had taken not long ago.

His mind just wouldn’t let him rest, flashing to the image of a scared ten-year-old girl with no family to take care of her. An orphan. Of Zac, finally realizing that he had lost more than just the games he had been playing with people. Of the two of them stripped of their defenses, being taken away, knowing they were finished.

God, if only Noah had been able to convince Zac to turn himself in that day! A lot of this could have been avoided. If someone had just taken the time to get through to them…

No. Why did Noah care so much? Get a grip, Mayer. They knew what they were doing. No one forced them to kidnap you, _shoot_ you, leave you bleeding and delirious in a storage locker. Stop being such a bleeding heart and toughen the hell up. Noah wrestled with these thoughts for what felt like hours- though his sense of time was still off, he had to admit- and finally fell into an uneasy sleep, clutching Luke’s hand like the life support it was.

The sentencing was set for the afternoon, so Noah’s physical therapy session was scheduled in the morning. He arrived a little early and pushed himself hard, hoping to keep his mind off Zac and Zoe and all the thoughts that had kept his sleep restless last night. He was unaware of the clock and his own body, and he responded to the therapist’s directions silently, mindlessly rotating and stretching his arm back and forth with the exercises.

He was actually startled when the door opened and Luke stepped in, ready to take him home. A whole hour had passed? Noah was suddenly aware of the deep ache in his arm, the entire limb turning into jelly when he tried to change shirts. His weakness would have bugged him more if he weren’t so distracted by Luke grinning at him, brown eyes brazenly looking him up and down, lingering on his sweaty, bare arms and chest.

Noah was sure he was blushing; he always did whenever Luke was obvious in checking him out, especially in public. “Cut it out,” he mumbled bashfully, as he knew Luke was about to open his mouth and say something suggestive.

Luke just smiled wider, lovingly, and planted a sweet kiss on Noah’s lips. “I was just going to say that I must have the hottest boyfriend in Oakdale. What’s wrong with that?” Noah shook his head, smiling back, grumpiness forgotten for the moment. Luke could always do that to him, make him melt just by saying the silliest thing imaginable.

He let Luke zip up his sweatshirt for him and lead him by the hand out of the hospital and to the car. The ride home was quiet, as the weariness and bone-deep ache from his PT session started to sink into Noah’s body. He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window, closing his eyes.

“You alright?” Luke snuck a glance his way, trying unsuccessfully to keep one eye on the road and one eye on his boyfriend. Noah just hummed an affirmative, nodding a little with his eyes still closed. Luke reminded himself of how exhausting PT sessions could be and decided to let Noah be, turning down the volume on the radio and driving the rest of the way in silence.

The only thing Noah could think about when they got back to the house was taking a shower. A long, hot shower to wash away the sweat and pain and tiredness covering him. Anything to not think about the hearing later. The more he thought about it, the more the sentencing made him nervous, unsettled, and he didn’t know why.

Thankfully, the shower did help, as did the sight of Luke dressed in a suit and waiting for him on the bed, armed with fresh bandages, clean clothes, and a bottle of pills. He was officially off the antibiotics as of today, and the only meds he had to take now were the painkillers. Luke had that wanton grin on his face (again), and so Noah blushed (again), gripping the towel around his waist a little tighter.

Luke couldn’t help but shake his head at Noah’s sense of modesty, especially considering he’d already seen _everything_ of Noah. Many times. “C’mere, you,” he gestured with his head for Noah to come over to the bed. “We’ve got to get that bandage changed and some drugs in you before the hearing.”

He watched, unabashed, as Noah dropped the towel and pulled on boxers and sweatpants. Hey, if they couldn’t have sex Luke was going take anything he could get, even a free show. He laughed inwardly, knowing Noah would be mortified (but probably also agree) if he knew what Luke was thinking.

The thought of the hearing caused Noah to forget about the sexual tension in the room for a moment. An idea struck Noah just as he sat down next to Luke on the bed. “Luke?”

“Hmm?” Luke slid in close to Noah and took the towel from him, ruffling it lightly through his boyfriend’s still damp hair before tossing it aside.

“I’m not going to go.” It all became clear to Noah and saying it out loud, making that decision, allowed him to breathe so much easier.

“What? You’re not going?” Luke was confused, studying Noah even as he redressed the wound on his arm the way the nurses had shown him at the hospital. He handed Noah a pain pill, grimacing yet again as Noah dry-swallowed it, and then together they scooted back until they were both sitting against the headboard. “Are you feeling okay?”

Noah pulled a pillow into his lap and played with the tag on it. “I feel fine, I just… I’m just done with it. With them. I don’t want to see them again, I don’t want to think about them anymore.” Luke ran his hand up Noah’s bare shoulder to the back of his neck, squeezing gently. “I’ve gotten my closure, I know they’re going to be punished. I don’t… I can’t-”

“Hey, Noah, it’s okay,” he interrupted softly. He kissed the side of Noah’s face in what he hoped was an understanding gesture. “It’s fine, really.” A few more seconds pause, and then Luke had to ask, “You don’t mind if I go, do you? I think I need-”

“Of course, yeah,” Noah quickly responded. “I don’t want to stop you from- I don’t want you to feel like you have to drop everything in your life for me.”

And then Luke was back to grinning because, honestly, how cute was his boyfriend? He kissed him again. “You _are_ my life, Noah Mayer. And I like it that way.” Noah smiled a little finally, and leaned over to kiss him this time. “I’ll go get my closure, make sure those two are put away for a long, long time. You stay here and get some rest and maybe, just maybe, we can find a way to celebrate later. Sound good?” Another kiss. No matter how many, Luke enjoyed each and every kiss he shared with Noah.

“Sounds great,” he answered simply, trying not to show how excited Luke’s tone- and plan for the night- made him. He leaned in for another kiss when Holden’s voice called up to them, interrupting.

Luke sighed, a little aggravated, and looked Noah over. “You want to stay up here, or hang out downstairs?”

“Downstairs,” Noah said immediately. Another slightly shy smile. “It doesn’t feel right being in here without you.”

Realistically, Luke knew he couldn’t literally melt at that. But damn if he didn’t feel like he was. God, if it weren’t for the getting-shot-part, Luke wished they could be like this all the time. And then he remembered the apartment. Their apartment. _Soon, soon, soon_.

Holden and Lily were gathering their jackets by the door when Luke and Noah entered the family room. Holden raised his eyes at Noah’s clothes- sweatpants and a long thermal shirt- and looked back and forth between them. “Noah? You not coming?”

Noah looked away, a little uncomfortable. He suddenly wondered how him not going would look to everyone else. Was he being stupid? A coward? “Um, yeah. I don’t really feel like seeing them again.” He shrugged one shoulder, feeling Luke’s hand on his back comfortingly. “Is that okay? If I stay here?”

“Oh, Noah, of course it is.” Lily looked at him with such understanding in her eyes that Noah almost hugged her right then and there, almost even said yes when she then asked if he wanted her to stay with him. Man, where had she been when he was growing up?

Noah smiled instead, happily putting up with her steady stream of questions. No, she should go with Luke. Yes, he’ll be fine, probably just sleep anyway. No, he doesn’t need anything. Yes, he’ll be awake in time for dinner with the family. Lily looked him over one more time before smiling, giving him a brief hug, and following Holden out.

Luke led him over to the couch, waited for him to sit down, and then held his face in both hands, kissing him softly. “I’ll keep my cell on vibrate, okay? Call me if you need anything.”

“Okay,” Noah couldn’t help but grin, the Snyders were acting like they were leaving an invalid home alone for a week. “I think I can manage for a few hours.” He tugged playfully on Luke’s tie.

Luke laughed a little, knowing they were being a little overprotective (okay, crazy) of Noah. “Just don’t burn the house down, Mayer.”

“Damn, there goes my afternoon,” he shot back somewhat sleepily, settling down even more into the soft leather cushions. His eyes were already closing when Luke kissed him again, and he never heard the door shut as Luke slipped out after his parents.

And then he awoke with a start, gasping from a nightmare he couldn’t even really remember. He stood up too fast and had to reach out for the back of the sofa to steady himself. He was shaking, why was he shaking? A look at the clock told him that about an hour had passed. He had no idea when Luke would be back, but he wished to God it were right now.

Noah raked his fingers through his hair, trying to comb out the tangles and the craziness in his head. He needed to do something, anything. He needed to get a hold of himself.

Deciding fresh air might be a good idea, he padded barefoot out onto the porch, sitting down on one of the wicker chairs, folding his long legs up into the seat with him. He sat there for a few minutes, staring at nothing, trying to remember the fragments of his dream, when a soft and lilting voice interrupted him.

“Hello, Noah.”

He looked up, startled. “Mr. Grimaldi.” He had been told awhile ago to call him Damian, but whenever Noah was nervous he reverted back to his old military-taught habit- treat your elders with the utmost respect. He still found himself calling Holden and Lily Mr. and Mrs. Snyder every once in awhile.

He started to stand, but Damian waved him back. “May I join you?”

“S-sure,” Noah stuttered, watching a bit apprehensively as Luke’s biological father took the seat next to him. He almost jumped when Damian’s eyes fixed on him. His eyes looked like Luke’s, and Noah wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

“How are you feeling? I must admit, you look much better than the last time I saw you,” Damian added with a small smile.

Noah smiled a little in return. The last time Damian had seen him, he’d been tied up and bleeding in a storage locker. “I’m doing a lot better, thanks. The Snyders are taking good care of me.” As soon as he said it, he wondered if that was the wrong thing to say. Would Damian be offended that he thought of Holden and Lily as Luke’s parents, he thought of Luke as a Snyder and not a Grimaldi?

Oblivious to Noah’s internal worry, Damian simply nodded and smiled again. “I’m sure they are. I’d expect nothing less.”

Noah was at a loss for what kind of small talk he was supposed to make, so instead he blurted out the question that was really on his mind. “How come you’re not at the hearing?”

Damian took a moment to study the young man next to him, the slight shadows in and under his eyes, before answering. “I know those two are going to be punished. That’s enough for me. I got my justice yesterday when they said they were guilty. I didn’t feel the need to prolong it any further.” Noah was shocked to hear his own thoughts come out of Damian, of all people. “And to be honest, I wasn’t sure how welcome I’d be today.”

“Why not?” Noah frowned. “You have just as much right to- to- they _stabbed_ you.”

“And now they will pay for that. And my son is free and unhurt, so it’s fine with me. I’m sure Luke and Holden and Lily don’t need me there. I was just stopping by now to see if it was over yet, how things went.” He looked over again. “Why aren’t you there, Noah?”

Noah shrugged his good shoulder awkwardly. “Same reasons, I guess. I don’t want to deal with it anymore.” He dropped his head, unable to meet those eyes that looked way too much like Luke’s. “I can’t look at her anymore.”

“Her?”

“Zoe. Or Gia, or whatever her name is.” Noah suppressed a shudder, telling himself he was taking all of this way too seriously.

“Why? From what I understand, it was the other one who did the most injustice to you-”

“No, not because of that,” Noah interrupted quickly, wondering in the back of his mind just how much Damian knew about what Zac and Zoe had done. Part of him wouldn’t be surprised of this guy new everything. He was like an International Man of Mystery or something. “It’s just, with Zoe, I…” Noah shook his head, trying to gather and process all the thoughts crowding his brain.

The uneasiness he’d felt since yesterday, the dream he’d just had… “She lost her mom when she was really young, and didn’t know her father. She had to grow up so alone, with such a- a messed up view of the world. If she had just _had_ someone be there for her, maybe none of this would have happened.”

He suddenly realized Damian had no idea where this was going in his head. He offered up a weak half-smile to the man. “It’s just… there’s a lot I can relate to with that. With her. And it scares me.” _How come I didn’t end up like that? What if I still could?_

“Noah, I can’t imagine any scenario where you would be like either of those two. They acted without conscience, on purely selfish reasons. Now, as I’ve said before, I haven’t known you that for that long, but even in that time I can tell that you are a man of very high character.”

Noah was pretty sure he was bright red. He definitely felt like his face was burning. He hated when his insecurities came out like this, when people felt the need to reassure him. “You don’t-”

“Son, I never say anything unless I mean it,” Damian was smiling again. He couldn’t begin to describe how weird it was to hear his boyfriend’s estranged biological father call _him_ ‘son.’ But a part of Noah had to admit that it felt good hearing it. No one had called him that in a long time.

They fell into a surprisingly comfortable silence for a few minutes when Noah looked up suddenly, remembering. “I never got a chance to thank you for… for everything. For finding us and stopping them from…” Noah bit his lower lip. “If you hadn’t come in when you did…”

Damian held up a hand, breaking Noah’s nervous rambling. “You and Luciano getting through this safely is thanks enough. And don’t sell yourself short, son. If you hadn’t fought off Gia, her companion might have shot me outside that locker. And Luke-”

“I wouldn’t have let her hurt Luke,” Noah had to cut in, had to insist.

Damian’s smile grew wider and, also a bit surprisingly, warmer. “I have no doubt of that, Noah. I want you to know, despite my history, despite what Luke and Holden might still believe, I only want what’s best for my son.” He chuckled. “And I think a blind man could see that that includes you.”

Noah sat in absolute shock for a moment. He’d never heard his relationship with Luke described like that before, certainly not from someone like Damian Grimaldi. “Thank you.” Then, a little suspicious, “But if you want to convince Luke of that, you’ll have to do it on your own.”

“I know,” Damian was resolute in his reply.

“I have to be on his side,” Noah was just as firm.

“I understand,” he assured the young man. “Your place is with my son, where you should be.”

Noah nodded, satisfied. “Thank you,” he said again, quietly, drawing his legs back up close to him.

Another beat of silence, and then Damian spoke again. “I never got a chance to thank you either. You saved my life and the life of my son’s. That’s not something I’m likely to forget. If you ever need anything, anything at all, I’ll be happy to help.”

A card appeared in Damian’s hand as if out of nowhere, and Noah was so tempted to laugh at that; it was straight out of a movie. But what from the last week or two hadn’t been straight out of some movie or another? He did appreciate the gesture, and so he took the card with a polite smile, sliding it into his pocket. Damian nodded, satisfied, and clasped his hand on Noah’s uninjured shoulder.

And that was how Luke found them. “Damian?” He resisted the urge to rush forward, put himself between Noah and his bio-dad. He felt his parents come up to stand next to him and wondered how much self-control Holden was using too.

“Luciano, hello. Holden, Lily,” Damian nodded to them, standing up smoothly and moving forward to greet them. Noah also stood, though definitely not as smoothly. “The hearing went well?”

“Life sentences for the both of them,” Lily answered.

Luke moved past Damian to his boyfriend, immediately putting an arm around his waist and hugging him close. Noah obliged, one arm going around Luke’s shoulders. “Really?” he asked softly, wanting the confirmation.

Luke smiled, nodded. “They’re going away, for good.” Noah smiled too, satisfaction shining in his eyes. They kissed lightly, relieved. He noticed Damian watching them and was tempting to glare at him, challenge him. Or just full-on make out with Noah in front of him.

But he figured none of those options was the smart one right now- and he had promised to give Damian more of a chance- so instead he pulled Noah towards the house. _See? Maybe Noah’s level-headedness is rubbing off._ “Come on, it’s cold out here. Let’s get inside and get dinner started. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? And why aren’t you wearing a coat? Do you want to get sick again?”

Noah chuckled but decided against teasing Luke in front of his parents. All three of them. Maybe it would be best just to let Luke get this mothering thing out of his system. He leaned into Luke’s embrace a little bit more than he actually needed to and allowed his boyfriend lead him inside.

But he paused at the doorway, forcing Luke to stop so he could turn back for a second. “Damian.” The man was watching them, and he focused on Noah’s face. “Thank you, for…” he drifted off, unsure of how to describe what had just happened.

But Damian understood, and he smiled and nodded in return. “Of course, Noah. And the same to you. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

And Noah realized he was feeling better. He nodded again, and then he and Luke left the parents to talk out on the porch. Once the door shut and Luke threw off his own jacket, he held on tightly to Noah again, arms snaking around his waist. “What was that about? What did he want, are you okay?”

Noah raised his good arm, hand going up to Luke’s cheek in the hopes of stopping his rambling. “It’s fine, okay? He didn’t want to go to the hearing either, was just checking in. We talked for a little bit, that’s it.” Luke still looked a little doubtful, so Noah pushed on, hoping to distract him. “The hearing really was okay? You’re okay?”

Luke couldn’t help but laugh, and he turned his head to kiss the palm that was still resting against his cheek. “We have got to stop having conversations that revolve around us asking each other if we’re okay.” Noah thought for a second, conceding that with a nod of his head. Luke leaned forward, pressing his lips to Noah’s. “But yes, I’m fine. I’m with you now, and that crap is over.”

He was leaning back again, but Noah wouldn’t let him, holding onto Luke’s tie and keeping him close. “Good,” he whispered, his lips still brushing against Luke’s. He could still hear the Snyders and Damian talking on the porch, and he mentally calculated how much time he and Luke had left alone. He not-so-subtly began moving the both of them back towards the stairs. “So just what was your plan for celebrating?”

Luke looked at him, a full-out grin shining on his face. They both had the same thought: Dinner can wait. “Let me show you,” he whispered into Noah’s ear.

Neither could say who grabbed who- maybe they grabbed each other- but in no time they were out of the family room and heading upstairs. After the week from hell, they both needed this- the chance to show how much they loved each other, had missed each other, and a chance to finally, completely, heal each other.

 

THE END


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